From November 20-22, we had our first Diller shabbaton! The theme of our shabbaton was Jewish identity. This meant that during the shabbaton, we were going to do activities in order to learn more about our Jewish selves and perspectives. During this process, our cohort became extremely unified as we discovered our inner selves as well as others'. Through various thought-provoking discussions, we had to come out of our shells and answer personal questions. But ultimately, this led us to not only understand our fellow Fellows better but to understand ourselves better as well. They started off as just my cohort but I can now gladly call them my second family.
Anywho, first things first we all arrived at the Quality Hotel, got our card keys (or regular keys for those who are shomer), and dropped off our bags in our rooms. We were then explained all the rules for the shabbaton, and were told to go get ready for Shabbat. When we all came back down in our nice clothes, we were surprised with a visit from Rabbi Pinny Gniwisch. He tried to learn all our names, but had a hard time doing so. The girls then lit the candles welcoming Shabbat. After explaining to us the meaning behind lighting the candles, Pinny introduced a task to us. He divided us into 4 groups. He gave each group a pack of around 20 cards, each card exhibiting a different either Jewish belief, custom or law. We were tasked with deciding upon a top 5 cards, then top 3 in terms of most important Jewish values. The card that every group had in common was the one that explained how Jews as a people must pass down Jewish traditions from one generation to the next. We all thought this was very important because no matter how observant you are, what sect of Judaism you come from, every Jewish person must learn the traditions and customs of their own family, and pass it down to their kids.
After assessing our Jewish priorities, we held services (Kabbalah Shabbat) led by our very own fellow, Ian Langleben. There was plenty of singing and dancing. After that we had a delicious Shabbat dinner. After we said the Birkat Hamazon, Pinny led us in more singing.
Our JC's then organized a team-building activity for us. We were split into two and we had to complete various tasks either faster or better than the other team. These tasks included karaoke, ninja, Jewish trivia... There was one game where we had to pair up and one person from each duo would have to put a shoe in the middle of the circle. Their teammate would then, blindfolded, have to go pick out your shoe out of a pile of shoes. My team won almost every competition. We then played stump the rabbi, which was not necessarily to literally stump the rabbi, but rather to ask questions about Judaism that we've always wanted the answers to. This activity forced us to search through our Jewish identities and find holes that needed to be filled. Personally, that experience really enhanced by own Jewish identity, and made me think more about my connection to the divine, whether there is something greater than all of us.
After a well deserved snack break, we went into our first Ma'agal Lailah as a cohort. Ma'agal Lailah translates to 'Night Circle.' We sat on the floor in, you guessed it, a circle. We were asked some serious questions like, "Who in your life has had the greatest impact on you?" And some less serious questions like "What song best describes you when you wake up in the morning?" This was an opportunity for us to open up to our Fellows, and really share our feelings. Through this we all became really close, really fast. With everyone sharing life experiences, opinions, we got to know each other almost instantaneously. After an extremely meaningful conversation we went upstairs two the hallway outside our bedrooms, and just us Fellows got to chill and talk to each other. Sadly, curfew came around pretty quickly and we all went to our rooms. I stayed up for a bit longer talking to my roommates Jared and Yoel, and I got to know them a bit better.
The next morning we woke up pretty early for a Saturday morning, ate breakfast all together and then walked the Dorshei Emet, the Reconstructionist temple. We talked to Rabbi Aigen about what reconstructionist Judaism really is. We learned that most decisions are based on what the community wants rather than decisions made by the rabbis and the sages. Their services were quite different from what I was used to. They changed certain words in certain paragraphs in order for them to support their ideology better. Growing up going to a modern orthodox synagogue, there was more listening than singing. However, in this synagogue everyone sings together, and it sounded really nice. Although I did not agree with a few things that they did, I was able to truly respect their ideas and mentality. I learned a lot more other kinds of Judaism than I had ever learned before.
Although this shabbaton was supposed to teach us about different kinds of Judaism and provoke more thought into our own Jewish identities, I found myself learning a lot about my cohort. Before Diller, I barely knew most of the other Fellows. After our first workshops, I got to know them a little better. However, this shabbaton was when I really learned a lot about them. Strangers became friends became a family. We became a unit. I cannot wait for the next workshop!!!
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